Hiiraan Online
Friday, January 29, 2016
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Somali politicians and citizens have taken to social media Wednesday in outrage following their president’s trip to Kenya to attend the memorial service of Kenyan soldiers killed in militants attack last week.
His critics said that Mr. Mohamud had ignored calls of visiting victims wounded in the restaurant attack in the Somali capital and instead chose to travel to Kenya to mourning for dead Kenyan soldiers, prompting a flurry of criticism from Somalis around the world.
“That’s an appalling own goal Mr. President—you bypassed your dying victims and then again chose to travel and cry for other country’s victims.” tweeted Yasin Haji in Tunisia, referring an attack on a restaurant near Mogadishu beach last week.
Politicians claimed that the visit by the president who returned to Mogadishu Thursday had hurt his political image, and breached set of rules, despite diplomacy experts’ arguments that the president’s a visit was suitable in a diplomatic sense and in accordance with international courtesy rules.
“That visit breached all international protocols – in any protocol, there’s nothing like a president attending a memorial service for other country’s fallen soldiers.” said Mohamud Ahmed Nur, the former Mogadishu mayor on his Facebook page. However, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari also joined Mr. Mohamud in the service.
However, some say that the outrage was politically motivated pushed by the president’s opponents.
“In a diplomatic sense, the president can visit any partner country for any reason that can strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries –therefore this absurd fuss on social media is more of political game than nationalism-driven resentment.” tweeted Ahmed Musa, a professor of international relations based in Virginia.
Somali government hasn’t so far commented on the development.
However, Kenya held an interfaith memorial service honouring Kenyan soldiers killed in Somalia on Wednesday.
"We owe these young patriots who gave everything a debt of honor," said Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta at the memorial service held at military barracks in Eldoret according to the Associated Press.
"We can begin to discharge it by resolving never to forget their sacrifices. We must also make sure that every single one of the cowards who murdered them will be hunted down and brought to justice."
The attack on El-ade army base was one of the deadliest attacks on the Kenyan army which vowed ‘massive’ retaliation against Al Shabab after the attack. Al-Shabab claimed it killed more than 100 soldiers in the attack.
Kenya sent troops into neighboring Somalia in 2011 after a spate of suspected Al-Shabab raids and kidnappings of tourists.